that's also the key issue today between president obama and hamid karzai in their meetings. despite his request for a large american residual force after 2014, karzai recently told nbc's atia that afghan troops are ready to take over. >> on the question of the readiness, the preparedness of the afghan security forces, they are quite ready. i can say with confidence to handle the security of the country, the trust of this country and to receive the full transition to them in 2014, rather, in 2013 and to have the departure of the foreign forces from afghanistan completed in 2014. zoom a strong advocate for chuck hagel for the pentagon job. general, welcome. thank you very much. >> nice to be with you. thank you. >> tell me why you think chuck hagel is the right person for this job despite all the controversy that has been raised about what he said about israel in the past and iran in the past, criticisms of some of his other statements certainly the statements about gay americans. >> i think for two, maybe three reasons. first of all, he is a very solid, sound thinker. he has